Baltimore Ravens Step Towards 75 Man Roster
By Tj Ray
The Baltimore Ravens Have Reached The First Wave Of Roster Cuts:
The Baltimore Ravens had a busy Monday, making a total of eleven roster moves so far. The Ravens have to trim their roster down to 75 by 4 p.m. today, which means there will obviously be a few more roster moves coming quickly. Before we talk about what they might do in the future, let’s take a look at what they’ve already done.
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An obvious move was to put tight end Benjamin Watson on the IR after he tore his Achilles during the third preseason game. This makes their decision about which tight ends to keep easier. They will most likely keep Crockett Gillmore, Dennis Pitta, and Maxx Williams. Obviously that is assuming both Pitta and Williams are back on the field in time for the season to start.
The Ravens also placed Kyle Arrington on the IR with a concussion. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Arrington paid an injury settlement and cut. There is also a possibility that the Ravens want to keep him despite less than stellar play so they can have some depth in their secondary in case the injury bug strikes again.
Other players cut today are as follows:
- G Jarrell Broxton
- LB Kavell Conner
- DT Trevon Coley
- WR Dobsin Collins
- C Anthony Fabiano
- WR Chuck Jacobs
- QB Jerrod Johnson
- LB Mario Ojemudia
- WR Darius White
Not a lot of surprises here. I doubt many casual football fans would even know who any of these players are. Four of them are undrafted free agents. Note: Jerrod Johnson is not the same as Josh Johnson who was said to be competing for the backup QB role earlier this preseason.
Those eleven moves leave the Ravens with 79 men on the roster. Third round draft pick Bronson Kaufusi will be put on the IR after breaking his ankle early in training camp. (For some reason rookies can’t be placed on IR until after the first round of cuts.)
The Ravens are also expected to waive safety Matt Elam. The former first round pick has had a disappointing career with the Ravens mainly because he can’t seem to stay healthy. If they waive him and he clears waivers, the Ravens will be able to offer him an injury settlement and release him or keep him on IR. Rumors seem to point towards his release.
These two expected moves leave another two cuts that will need to happen before 4 p.m. Tuesday. Obviously we don’t know who will be cut. In all likelihood it will be two guys that most people haven’t heard of as the Ravens will hold off on the “bigger” cuts until they need to get down to 53. Regardless here are a few bigger-name predictions that are on the chopping block.
Personally I’d like to see LT James Hurst off the team. With the addition of Ronnie Stanley it seems he has overstayed his welcome in Baltimore. I still blame him for Joe Flacco’s torn ACL last season. If something happens to Stanley I believe Blaine Clausell is a better fit than Hurst. This is unlikely, but one can hope, right?
Running back, Stephen Houston has almost no chance at making the team, but I imagine the Ravens will keep him until the 53 man cuts so they can use him during the final preseason game.
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Darren Waller and Daniel Brown both seemed like likely candidates to get cut before Watson’s injury. Now, the Ravens may hold on to them for a little longer. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see one of them cut today.